A Life Deferred
by LeeW
Summary: 4 months before Icarus II left Earth Cassie became pregnant. The father's identity was known only to her, and never knew she carried, albeit breifly, another life before terminating the pregnancy after 6 weeks. Inspired by Sunshine's crew bios. MASSIE
1. Prologue & Remembering the Past

After all the years of training, all the years of preparation for the journey to the sun, there were yet some crew members aboard _Icarus II_ that did not sleep easily.

Cassie sighed as she shifted positions inside her small bed. The filtered halogen lights of _Icarus II_, which were dimly lit as always during the ship's night cycle, shed just enough light on the digital calendar on the wall by her bed. Five more minutes and it would be 12:00 A.M., November 18th, 2057….six months to the day since the crew of _Icarus II_ had begun their flight towards the sun. Six months…how much of that time had she spent trying to avoid looking Mace in the eye? Every day, every moment they passed each other in a corridor, brushed against each other while going about the flight deck was a nerve-wracking moment for Cassie. If not for that one night, so many months ago she wondered, would she now be so uncomfortable in Mace's presence? Surely all the rest of the crew, save Searle, wondered at the tension between them in their day-to-day duties, Cassie was sure of this. How could they not? Cassie could not even bring herself to lift her eyes to Mace's face on most occasions, and when she did, all she saw were those deep brown eyes filled with a single thing: expectation. Cassie knew what Mace wanted, hoped for, even wished for: contact. Just a few small words, a nod, even a smile.

Cassie rolled over again, her mind replaying the events of last night's dinner. It had been Corazon's turn for the night's dinner shift, which meant good things for the crew. Cassie had never been a particularly dab hand at cooking, but she wasn't bad either. Her talent paled in comparison to Corazon, however; besides herself and the slender, quiet biologist, few else amongst the crew could be counted upon for decent cooking- Harvey, surprisingly, was skilled in the kitchen, as were Capa and Searle. Mace was merely adequate, Kaneda's meals were passable, and as for Trey, whenever it was his shift, the crew seemed to be strangely without their appetites. Last night Corazon had turned out a wonderful vegetable stir-fry, yet Cassie had barely picked at her food.

_Cassie finished typing in the coordinates for Icarus's night cycle. _

_"Icarus, coordinates have been set for next twelve hours during crew's sleep cycle"_

_"Affirmative, Cassie. Icarus now transferring pilot control to ship computer for night cycle."_

_Cassie looked up at the ship's dashboard clock. Seven o'clock. Just in time for dinner. The rest of the crew would just be sitting down to eat. _

_A wonderful jasmine perfume was in the air as Cassie came into the crew's quarters. Aaah, of course- Corazon had kitchen shift tonight. Kaneda and Harvey were already at the table, deep in conversation. Capa and Trey were collecting their food from Corazon, and Searle was filling the cups. Mace was nowhere in sight. "Just in time" Corazon said as she passed Cassie a steaming plate of vegetables and noodles, Perfect, mused Cassie as she turned around to head to the table. Just enough time to sit down with-_

_Ccraashh!!!!_

_Cassie collided with something tall and solid, stumbling backwards. A hand reached out, coiling around her waist, pulling her to his body and away from the floor. Mace. Mace, with his shirt now drenched in carrots, broccoli, noodles and of course, Corazon's savory jasmine sauce. Cassie slowly brought her eyes up to Mace's face. _

_"Sorry."_

_"Nothing to be sorry about, Cass." Mace's face was calm and collected, his eyes boring back into hers. Cassie blushed, suddenly embarrassed at the closeness of their bodies as she felt Mace's arms around her. "You can let go of me now, Mace." Cassie said, fervently wishing she could find something else to focus her eyes upon. _

_"Sure thing." Mace's hands slid away, now occupied with picking carrot slices off his shirt. "I'm glad I made extra. You want a towel, Mace?" Corazon called from behind the galley. "Nah, I'll just change real quick. Cassie probably planned the whole thing just to get my shirt off anyway." Mace offered Cassie a mischievous grin before pulling off the stained garment, exposing his well-toned chest and abs. Cassie could not help but stare for long moment at the exposed skin, unwelcome memories flooding through her mind. Had it really been so long ago, before she learned to avoid him, that they had shared that one wonderful night? _

_"Cassie, help me clean this mess up, okay?" Corazon's voice brought Cassie back to reality as she felt a dishtowel being placed in her hand. Numbly, Cassie knelt to begin cleaning up the spilt food, her mind still on Mace. So much for avoiding him tonight… All too soon she found herself at the dinner table, facing Kaneda and Harvey, with Capa and Searle on her left and Corazon and Trey on her right…which left her stuck next to Mace. _

_Harvey was describing in great detail to the crew his honeymoon with his wife Michelle, and was being shamelessly egged on by Searle and Trey. It was a story that Cassie knew any other night she might have enjoyed, but tonight all she could think of was Mace. Sighing, she reached out across the table for a napkin and drew back, promptly colliding with Mace's arm, tipping her glass of water directly into her plate of stir-fry. "Shit" muttered Mace, grabbing for some napkins to mop up the quickly spreading puddle. "Clean up on aisle four" Harvey snickered, momentarily distracted from his story._

"_I guess we're two for two now, huh Cass?." Mace offered up another cheeky grin. _

"_Yeah, I guess so." Cassie offered a wan smile. "You don't have to clean that up Mace. It was my fault…again. Let me do it."_

_"No, no, I've got this. I'll just get rid of this…" Mace stood up and tossed Cassie's ruined meal into the nearby sink before sitting back down. You'll just share with me." Mace slid his plate between them, and handed Cassie's fork back to her. "Dig in." Mace smiled, laying his hand on her shoulder. Cassie suddenly recalled a moment, months ago, of herself wrapping an arm around Mace as she passed him a glass of wine. No, she decided. Don't dwell on it. That's what got you into this whole funk. Sighing, she dug into her vegetables _

Cassie shifted in her bed once more. The clock now read 4: 30 A.M. The day cycle aboard _Icarus II_ didn't begin until 7:30 A.M., but what was the use of trying to go back to sleep? The night had been thankless enough already all she had managed to achieve was a few meager hours of rest, broken only by an extended trip down memory lane. Sitting up, Cassie groggily tucked a stray stand of hair behind her ear, resolving to get more sleep tomorrow night.


	2. Distant Memory

**Author's note: **_Thanks to all who have reviewed and/or sent me encouragement. This chapter had been written long ago, and I simply had too many family crises going on to make time to post it- my apologies! Furthermore, I do not always write sequentially, which makes my story-writing process a more drawn-out affair. Also, I do not attend for the story itself to take place in a sequential fashion, but as a rule, each chapter will usually start off with a "present-time" moment during the mission prior to the events of the film before switching to a flashback. I hope everyone enjoys the chapter! And I hope I can post chapter three within 2 week's time or less!_

* * *

Cassie walked out as quietly as she could towards the kitchen and common area. There was nothing of any significant importance that might be accomplished in the dim hours before _Icarus_ began its morning cycle. The blinking green digital lights of the computer display in the prep area taunted her as they winked back and forth on the dark screen. Squinting in the darkness, and making no other conclusion that someone on the launch staff had falsified her vision test, Cassie fumbled for the light switch at the side of the doorway for a moment before successfully bringing the halogen lights on dim. In the light the room looked empty and forlorn, bereft of any other occupants save Cassie. She reflected that the one positive outcome of her solitary presence was at least there was no danger of spilling another plate of food on another unsuspecting victim, and in the dim light of the quiet room Cassie allowed herself a smile.

Rummaging through the pantry, Cassie selected for herself a canister of bran cereal and a packet of dried banana slices. From the heavy steel-clad refrigerator she pulled an already-opened canister of skim milk, and from the drawers next to the refrigerator, a bowl and spoon. Silently she poured the bran and the banana slices into the cereal bowl, the bran making a vague rattling echo in the empty room. Pouring the milk, Cassie watched the mixture rise to the top before she dipped in her spoon and began her breakfast.

Breakfast was not normally a solitary meal aboard _Icarus II_, nor was lunch or dinner. With only eight people on the massive craft, meals were generally an opportunity for camaraderie, conversation and laughter. This morning however Cassie was almost glad of the silence- she did not need anyone to distract her from her thoughts. Although her dreams were routinely consistent in their subject matter, Cassie had found more and more of them being occupied with memories of Mace, even if they were at most a fleeting and sudden presence. After six months of living and working in the same space with the man, Cassie often found herself exasperated with his presence, although Mace had done nothing to bother her. In fact, in all their time together since _Icarus II_ had departed for the sun, Mace had been nothing but a gentleman, He was still a flirt, and still a bit of a braggadocio, but ever since Cassie had broken off the relationship, he had stopped openly pursuing her. Nothing could disguise the looks of raw hunger and desire that she often saw in his eyes, however, nor could Cassie avoid seeing a hint of sadness and regret etched on his handsome features when he thought no else was watching.

Her initial impression of Mace had been far different. Cassie could still recall the first meeting from the preliminary stages of the _Icarus II project_, from the conference in the District of Columbia, when the eight men and women who would become earth's last, greatest hope had made their introductions to each other….

_"I know you, you know."_

_"You do? We've never met."_

_"Well, not face to face, anyway. But I've heard all about you. You're the guy who cracked the system. The one who brought down half of the computers in the Eastern Hemisphere with the Nagasaki virus."_

_The young man in front of Cassie offered a sheepish shrug of his shoulders. Tanaka "Trey" Koji had been until recently a name of relative infamy within the scientific communities of the world. Now staring at the face before her, Cassie found it hard to believe that someone with such round, childlike features and the cheeky lopsided grin could really have wreaked such havok across the world. Offered a plea bargain in exchange for a contracted term in the Pan-Asian Space Program, the world's foremost hacker had since become head mathematician and navigator in the new Icarus Initiative. Trey had not been the only face that Cassie had recognized; she had known Searle for years, and of course she and Harvey had shared work together at NASA over the last few months. Still, there were faces at the conference that Cassie had not recognized, faces which provoked consideration and curiosity. _

_A willowy Chinese woman with graceful features. _

_A young man about her own age with the most piercing cerulean blue eyes Cassie had ever seen. _

_A handsome Japanese man who radiated an almost Zen-like calm. _

_And lastly, the tall, broad-shouldered young man with the close-cut hair and the dark brown eyes. Even now Cassie watched him move seamlessly through the crowd, pausing only to strike up a conversation with the Japanese man. _

_Her curiosity got the better of her. "Trey." Cassie motioned behind the navigator. "Trey, who's that guy with the short brown hair-"_

_"And the biceps like tree-trunks? I met him yesterday at one of the preliminary meetings." Trey's eyes sparked with mischief. "You want me to make an introduction?"_

_"Oh, I don't really think-"_

_"Follow me." Trey cut her off and began winding around the crowd, leaving Cassie no option but to follow. Coming up behind the broad-shouldered man, Trey cleared his throat._

_"Mr. Mace."_

_"Trey." The man turned around, offering Trey and Cassie an expectant look. "I've got someone you ought to meet, seeing as how you'll be sharing a ship for the next three years. This is Cassie." Trey motioned to her, and Cassie stepped forward. _

_"Hello. Mr. Mace." Cassie found herself blushing, although she had no idea why. As if sensing her embarrassment, Mace wisely chose to break the ice first. "I know you, you know," he remarked_

_"I was just telling the same thing to Trey. How did you-"_

_"I saw your bio in the press release packets this morning. Of course," Mace drawled, "you'd think when we're getting ready to save the world, our own space agency would go ahead and introduce us to our fellow crewmates before training begins next month, but, I guess they have better things to worry about. You know, fuel efficiency, prepping the booster rockets on the ship, finetuning the wiring, stuff like that."_

_"Then I'm guessing you're the mechanic?"_

_"Bingo."_

_Cassie grinned. She was beginning to like Mace already.. _

_"So what's your gig going to be on this big bucket of bolts?"_

_"The ship needs a pilot."_

_Mace smirked. "So, can't you just point us towards the sun, start up the engines and let that be the end of it?"_

_"I could, but in the very unlikely we have to shift postions due to the solar winds, or a meteor storm or anything else, I'm sure you'd rather the pilot take control of the ship instead of the mechanic." _

_"So you're saying you're the best person for the job?"_

_Cassie straightened her shoulders. "I'm the best there ever was."_

_"Funny, that's what all the girls say about me." Mace flashed his wide grin again, and Cassie looked away, unable to handle such unbridled machismo. If Mace was always this saucy, training was going to be very interesting…._

* * *

_Thanks again for reading! I'm hoping Chapter three will focus more on Mace, and his view on the burgeoning attraction!_


	3. Aqueous Transmission

_A/N: Thanks to everyone for the recent kind reviews! These reviews always mean the world to me and positive feedback and constructive criticism are what I need to get me inspired, so many thanks again to you all. As I mentioned in my last post, I rarely write my stories in sequential format; I've already written three other chapters to follow this one and they are all in varying stages of completion. I know last time I promised a post within 2 weeks, and it has been what, three and half at least, right? I do apologize for the tardiness and I will try to have chapter 4 up in two weeks time or less! Also, to clarify a plot point, the real-time part of this chapter, while written from Mace's perspective, occurs on the exact same night aboard Icarus II as the night on which Cassie dreamt of her first meeting with Mace, as seen in the previous chapter._

* * *

_Cassie hated Mondays_

_She hated them._

_She had hated them for as long as they had been designated the day for "Gravity Simulation and Calisthenics Examinations" as specified by NASA's medical division. The physical fitness of the eight members that comprised the Icarus II Initiative would have direct bearing on their endurance, reflexes and muscle strength during the three-year flight to and from the sun, and consequently, under the watchful eyes of the medical staff, the program-mandated bi-weekly fitness and training sessions were implemented. For the last three months, the Monday regimen consisted of the following directives:_

_A thirty-minute Pilates session._

_Four sets of sprints._

_Endurance running._

_And of course, diving missions in the neutral buoyancy laboratory._

_It was a ritual that Cassie dearly despised. She had known even before training began that the tank would be an essential part of crew operations, as it had been for nearly every astronaut since its inception by NASA back in the 1970s. And, she would often reflect, it seemed in the almost seventy-odd years since its inception, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration had done little to make the endeavor a useful simulation. At the root of it all, she saw the practices as futile, for water could never fully replicate the zero gravity atmosphere of deep space and the EVA missions aboard Icarus II. The aqueous material and the significant amount of drag which came with it only slowed down the already laborious and weighty movements of the practice spacesuits. And the entire affair was a tedious and drawn out matter, for complete sessions often passed the ninety minute mark._

_Today it was herself and Mace in the suits, thirty feet below surface level inside their suits, laboring to breathe inside their steamy helmets as they went through the movements of soldering emergency antennae to one of the faux comms towers which was meant to simulate one of Icarus' two rotating communication beacons. In theory, the practice was sound. Although statistically improbable, during the voyage, should the antennae hit any foreign particles in deep space, the comms towers could potentially become inactive. The exercise involved both partners disconnecting the strut supports on one end of the tower, removing defunct wiring before moving to the far end of the tower to solder and wire the new antennae._

"_Mace, bring up the maintenance module to the antennae."_

"_Roger Cassie." Mace's voice crackled through the static, but even through the bright lights of the tank Cassie could discern her fellow crewmember bringing up the self-propelled maintenance module._

"_I'm glad we're almost done. I didn't think removing the struts would take that long. After this I'm taking a two-hour nap."_

"_I'd settle for a cold beer." Cassie smiled to herself. She had become quite used to Mace's often unexpected but always witty commentary over the last few weeks of training. It was just another sign that the crew of the ICARUS II was becoming a family, where each of them cared for each other. Perhaps some more than others, she mentally added, imagining Mace's easy smile. _

_The module magnetically sealed itself to the metal frame of the tower, the top cover sliding back to offer up its utilities. Cassie took out the charged drill, shifting the device in her gloved hand as she floated towards the antennae. _

"_Mace?"_

"_Yeah Cassie?"_

"_Help me get this done in the next 15 minutes and I'll buy the first round tonight."_

'_Good. You know I like a challenge."_

"_I thought the neutral buoyancy tank was considered "a team-bonding exercise."_

"_Male and female bonding? I like the sound of that." _

_Cassie rolled her eyes. "I don't know how you managed to wedge all that ego into the spacesuit. Now get the soldering drill."_

"_Got it." Mace floated towards Cassie, the drill in one hand, and the replacement antennae in the other. From the miniscule slit that was the window of his helmet, Mace could see Cassie straining inside her suit as she took the soldering drill. He was doing no better himself, and despite his attempts at levity and the temperature regulators built into the suit, neither had stopped him from sweating out nearly all of his bodily fluids. His headband had long since been soaked through, and he now had no way to fight the beads of sweat as they rolled down his forehead, stinging his eyes._

_"All right. Wiring grate removed. Now we just need to plug in the replacement wiring lozenge."_

"_Cassie, slow down your breathing." Corazon's voice crackled to life on her suit's hard-line. "I don't want you going through your O____ too fast and you've only got ten percent left. And Mace, you're not doing much better."_

"_I'm trying Corrie, I really am." _

'_WARNING. REMAINGING O2 AT TEN PERCENT." As if to taunt them, the placid electronic voice of Icarus underscored Corazon's warning, to remind them of their inefficiency. _

"_God, I hate this," sighed Cassie, unable to completely mask her irritation with the O2 status and the snail's pace at which the current exercise was proceeding. "I mean, this is completely unnecessary. I'm not even high priority for repairs. The protocols specifically state that you, Kaneda and Harvey are the first-ranked specialists for all external operations during the flight. Why the hell am I even stuck in this suit?"_

"_Because the administration specifically stated that despite the odds being in our favor, should anyone aboard Icarus II become incapacitated for any reason whatsoever," Mace reminded her, " the rest of us have to have basic knowledge of repair protocol and the dynamics of the spacesuit." _

"_Did you spend the whole night rereading the mission dossier?" grumbled Cassie_

_Mace chuckled. "Just doing my job. One of us has to be the engineer."_

"_And one of us is going to pass out if they're stuck in this sweatbox any longer. Now pass me the wiring lozenge"_

_The proffered packet was passed, and Cassie tried with no success to slide it into the opened grate. This was why she hated the neutral buoyancy tank- water made everything so hard to work with. She pushed harder. The lozenge remained stubbornly in place. _

"_Mace, I need you."_

"_Yeah, that's what she said-"_

"_Just shut up and help me get the wiring in place." Mace glided over closer as Cassie gave one last final shove on the lozenge with both gloved hands, and was rewarded with the sight of the sealed plastic tube's wiring port flash green as it connected with the internal mechanisms._

_Mace's approving whistle came in loud and sharp over the crackling of Cassie's hard-link. "Good. A few more minutes and we're done. We just need to connect the antennae, and that's the easiest part."_

"_Well hurry it up." Corzon's voice crackled on their suits' hardlinks. "You're both about to go over on the O2 limits. If this was a real mission you'd both drain your reserves in a matter of moments."_

"_Copy that Corazon. Mace, let's replace the wiring grate and get to the antennae." Cassie pushed off from the lozenge, but something snapped at her gloved hand and she recoiled inside her suit, her forehead smacking against the helmet. Cassie realized then why her right hand had not moved- her glove had become wedged between the lozenge and external plating, snagged on some unseen object._

"_Cassie, come on."_

"_I'm stuck!"_

"_No you're not. We're in a neutral buoyancy tank. We go which ever way our suits do." Even through the haze of bubbles and the darkness of Mace's helmet, Cassie could almost swear he was rolling his eyes._

"_Mace, I'm serious. My right hand, it- it's stuck somehow." She gave another push, but her arm was as stiff and still as if immersed in concrete._

"_Alright, I'm going to try and pull you free." Mace floated beside Cassie, placing his hands around her forearm. On three, and then we pull together."_

"_I still want to be able to use my hand after this is over, Mace."_

"_You will be, just hold on. ONE, TWO-"_

_They pulled at the exact same moment, and suddenly Cassie yelped as a deep pain spread throughout her hand._

"_God, I'm sorry Cas, I am. One more pull and you're free."_

"_I can't move my hand!"_

"_I know, I know I know, just one more pull and-"_

"_No!" Cassie shrieked the last word, already hating herself for sounding obstinate and weak at the same time, but her hand now really stung! Cassie suddenly felt something warm and sticky sliding over her palm and as if to match her suspicions, the water around the wiring grate began to turn a soft murky red. Her hand was cut, that much was clear, and to make matters worse, her hand was still firmly lodged just inside the wiring grate. _

"_Mace, any luck?" Corazon's voice crackled on the hardlink._

"_I can't get her free. Something on her glove has to be catching on one of the internal pieces. And…" Mace gritted his teeth. "I don't think we have much O2 left in the suits." It didn't matter whether or not the practice was successful, what matted now was getting Cassie out safe. In the four weeks since their meeting at the publicity conference, they had already become so close, and he certainly wasn't going to let anything happen to a crewmember and a friend._

"_Well, do something! I can't stay here all day!" Cassie laughed a nervous laugh, the weak attempt at humor failing to mask the rising anxiety in her voice. Mace gave a second, more forceful pull, but Cassie could only yelp at the pain. _

"_Cassie, take it easy! We've got Kaneda and the E.T.s putting on their diving tanks right now." Corazon's voice alone was calm. "They'll get you out. There's plenty of air in your pack, and it will only take a minute to-"_

"_WARNING. OXYGEN AT FIVE PERCENT. PLEASE RETURN TO AIRLOCK." As if on cue, the voice of ICARUS interrupted Corazon's instructions. Mace watched as Cassie began shaking violently inside of her suit, trying in vain to push off from the surface of the comms tower. _

"_Why the hell didn't they fit the suits with redundant breathers? This isn't even a real mission and if I die-" _

"_Cassie, calm down, you need to slow your breathing-"_

"_I am calm!" Cassie snarled over the hardlink. "Get me out of here, NOW!"_

"_Jeez, Cassie take it easy, you have to control your breathing and-"_

"_I am!" Cassie shrieked, and Mace realized that were she to keep hyperventilating, her O2 supply would go down even further. A sudden, desperate idea struck him._

"_Cassie, don't worry, I'm going to get you out, just hold on." Mace lunged for the maintenance module, and began rifling through the trays of tools, the sound of the items shuffling about under his hands drowned out by Cassie's loud and rapid breathing. _

"_Do something!" she shrieked again, and the sound tore at Mace's heart. She would come to no bad end on his watch, not when he had come to care for her so deeply. His hands moved over drill bits, tubing, small machines and replacement parts. What could he use to cut through metal in the few precious minutes Cassie had left? "Mace" Cassie groaned from somewhere behind him, and he realized how desperate she sounded, how ragged her voice came out. _

_His hands landed on something- a blade, a utility knife. _

"_Got it Cassie! I can cut you out!" He lunged for Cassie's bobbing form, and maneuvered his arm so that it was parallel to Cassie's. _

"_I'm going to have to do this blind and I can't promise it's going to be a neat job either."_

"_Mace." Cassie's voice was sluggish._

_Desperately, Mace plunged the blade into the piping, feeling it line up to Cassie's hand. He scraped the knife around viciously and was rewarded with the faint clicking sound of metal meeting metal. In a flash Mace realized what had happened_

_The delicately placed scales of the fingers of her suit's glove had snagged somehow and the hard metal scale had bent and curved around the unseen obstacle. Grimacing, Mace realized he would have to cut through the metal to free Cassie. Aiming the knife as close as he could, and hating himself for what he was about to do, knowing full well that Cassie would only be cut deeper no matter how carefully he aimed, Mace plunged the blade forward, and was rewarded with the sound of ripping material. _

"_WARNING, OXYGEN LEVEL AT FIVE PERCENT. PLEASE RETURN TO AIRLOCK."_

"_WARNING. OXYGEN LEVEL AT ONE PERCENT. PLEASE RETURN TO AIRLOCK OF FATAL DAMAGE TO NEURAL AND MOTOR SYSTEMS EMMINENT. POSSIBLE LOSS OF LIFE._

_Their suits' O2 monitors now beeping in tandem, Mace gave the blade one final plunge, and Cassie's gloved hand slid out of the crevice, another cloud of blood blossoming in its wake. Somewhere above them, the distant echoes of the diving E.T.s met his ears as they began their descent._

"_Cassie?"_

_There was a long drawn out sigh, a last expelled breath that echoed on his hardlink. _

"_CASSIE!!"_

_Pulling her form to his own, Mace pushed off from the tower, struggling upwards even as the rescue divers converged around them, pushing Cassie to the surface._

* * *

_He gasped as he hit the depressurize button under the helmet, and with a loud hiss Mace's helmet slid up, the diving team quickly stripping him out of the suit. The divers had hauled Cassie out of the water and she was already being laid on the ground, the medics rushing to strip her of her compression suit and pressure vest. _

"_Is she going to be okay?" Mace yelled over the crowd to Corazon. "She was in the suit for almost a whole minute before the divers opened her helmet."_

_Corazon didn't bother looking at Mace while she unbuckled Cassie' pressure vest . "We have to hope she was saving her last breath when she went unconscious. Her airway looks clear. Start CPR while I work her chest."_

_As if on cue, Searle appeared by Mace's side, as Mace leaned over Cassie's face. Pinching hr noise and opening her jaw, he delivered one long, steady breath into her airway even as he felt Corazon delivering a strong push on Cassie's sternum._

_What happened?" Searle yelled over the din. _

"_She ran out of her before she could get to the top. I don't think she was out for long, but-" Corazon paused as she pushed her hands against Cassie's chest. "We can't hope too much."_

_Searle shook his head. "The longer she's unconscious the less chance we have of resuscitating her." _

"_Anything?" Mace pleaded as bent down towards Cassie's head again._

"_Nothing." Corazon gave another forceful push into Cassie's body. "She's beginning to turn blue!"_

"_Dammit Cassie, wake up!" Mace exhaled into Cassie's unmoving mouth, her lips cold on his. _

"_Paddles warmed up! Corrie, get out of the way!!" Mace looked up as Searle moved in, the heated paddles in his hands. Knowing there was no time for modesty, Mace grabbed the collar of her jumpsuit, tearing the fabric down to Cassie's navel. Even as he pushed aside the scraps of fabric, Searle knelt to position the paddles on Cassie's chest._

"_Clear!!"_

_Her body made a sudden jolt, back arching as muscles contracted from the intense electrical current even as the sound of a ragged intake of breath reached Mace's ears._

* * *

_Warm brown eyes fluttered open as her body entered a spasm of coughing. She felt strong arms encircling her, a warmth spreading through her chilled body. _

_For a brief moment, she did not know what had happened. And then, like the pieces of an intricate puzzle box, everything fell into place. _

_Dazzling lights in her eyes._

_A sharp throbbing pain in her right hand._

_The scent of chlorine in the air._

_The sound of Corazon crying._

_And Mace, Mace holding her, rocking her in his arms even as he whispered into her ear._

"_I thought we lost you."_

_She stirred groggily. "Was I gone?"_

"_Almost…can you sit up?"_

"_I can try." Cassie struggled to sit up as Mace carefully supported her. A frenzy of activity went on around her. Technicians were taking away what appeared to be her dismembered spacesuit. Corazon stood off to the side, grinning even as tears streaked down her face. And Searle was on his knees by her side, his fingers around Cassie's wrist as he checked his watch._

"_Pulse is pretty weak; bloodflow is irregular."_

"_I don't feel very good." Cassie muttered, more to herself than to anyone else, the adrenaline from he experienced was rapidly being replaced by a strong and growing pain that seemed to spread throughout her system, and she was suddenly overwhelmed by a great wave of sluggishness. Her eyes wandered down to her right hand, and she discovered the source of the pain: a deep cut on her palm, slashed from pinky to thumb, steadily dripping blood despite the layer of gauze covering the wound.. _

"_My hand," she whispered to no one in particular. She made a fist to stem the bloodflow but the pain became so bad she was forced to give up. Whimpering, she gave up and sank back towards the floor. Hardly aware of what he was doing, Mace pulled Cassie to him in a tight embrace, his head nuzzling into the crook of her neck._

"_Hey, I've got you Cass. Don't worry, a little bed rest and you'll be back on your feet in no time." He heard her moan softly from the pain, and he could not stop himself from placing a small, kiss against her throat._

_Despite the dizziness that was setting in, the sudden physical contact brought two things to Cassie's attention. Her chest was becoming more sore by the minute, and, she realized as her cheeks flushed, her jumpsuit was shredded down the middle to her waist, leaving her entire font exposed. _

"_Mace?"_

"_Hmmm?"_

"_Why is my top torn?" _

"_Oh, um…" Now Mace blushed. "Searle had to use the shock paddles on you, and we had to cut through the jumpsuit so-"_

"_I think," Searle interrupted as he placed a blanket around Cassie, "its time we get Miss Cassidy to the med center. She needs a blood transfusion, the sooner the better. Stay put and I'll bring the gurney" Searle began, but Mace cut in. "No need, the situation is well in hand." And, so stating, he quickly wrapped the blanket around Cassie's torso and swung her into his arms. "I'll take you myself. After all, you are my partner for the day."_

_Cassie nodded. "I do owe you now, for the whole rescue thing, I mean. I'm don't know what might have happened if you hadn't dislodged my hand. Besides, I've got something else to occupy me for now."_

"_Such as?" Mace queried as he carried her to the med center. _

_Cassie gave him a small smile. "I was wondering if I could get that beer now?"  


* * *

_

Squinting in the dim light, Mace sat up in his bunk as he examined the clock on the wall. Only 5:48? After such a vivid recollection of the failed dive, of Cassie laying so still by the pool, Mace wasn't sure he wanted to go back to sleep, not after experiencing the pain of almost losing Cassie for a second time. _Might as well get up_ he thought, _make the most of another tedium-filled day. _Pulling on a shirt, Mace headed to the galley.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! Chapter 4 to be posted soon(er)! ;-)

* * *


	4. Convalescence

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has left me kind words and reviews over the last several weeks. I know this update is terribly late, even though it has been written and finished for nearly three weeks. I tend to leave my stoies alone after I write them, always neglecting to post them! Also I've been trying to navigate the problems of just having one computer in my house to use- Our family's wireless router has broken down, and since we have only 1 hardlink in the house, it makes the other 2 computers in the house useless...ggrrrr...Still, I had to admit I have no excuses for the lateness of this chapter. I know I always promises to make quick updates, and then fall behind. A profound _mea_ _culpa _to you all. **

**I've tried to heighten the emotional attachment that is growing between Mace and Cassie, I only hope it hasn't come off as too syrupy. Your reviews of course will be sure to inform me if they are ;-)**

* * *

Heading out towards the kitchen and the common area, he could faintly discern the sounds of muffled footsteps, the clink and clatter of plate ware being moved about. _Strange_, Mace reflected_, _for rarely did anyone exit from his or her rooms a full 2 hours before _Icarus_ _II_'s morning cycle switched on. Despite the usual deference to the unspoken rule however, the sounds grew louder as Mace found his way towards the kitchen area

"Icarus, lights."

"Yes Mace."

With a sharp click, the ship's computer registered his voice, and the halogen lights burst onto high, forcing Mace to squint in the sudden brightness. And there, looking for all the world like a deer caught in the headlights was Cassie, bent over the sink, a bowl in her hand, a puzzled expression to match that of Mace's as the light illuminated the room. She waved her free hand.

"Good morning."

"Is it?" Mace yawned. "I couldn't sleep. I didn't think anyone else would be up this early."

Cassie shook her head. "I had a pretty restless night. I only got up about twenty minutes before you did."

"Bad dreams?"

She considered briefly, nearly responding in the affirmative before shaking her head. No need to give Mace fuel with which to pry into her private affairs. _Once you would have told him everything_, she silently chided herself. "Just Kaneda's cooking from last night. Wouldn't let me sleep." She smiled, knowing the pathetic attempt at levity would not really distract Mace, but he smiled back conspiratorially. He knew she was lying and of course, he did not pursue her for a straight answer. He had given up trying to communicate evenly with her, even before the mission had begun.

"I was going to go ahead and get my exercise in before the morning cycle switched on." Cassie cleared her throat, as if by some miracle the motion might break up the tension that had swept through the room the moment Mace had entered. How odd, that once she might have told him anything, have done anything for him, had given herself to him, mind body and soul; now there seemed little room between the tension of their daily interactions with which to practice their friendship.

"Well, I won't hold you up, not if you've got that to get on with…" Mace drew away.

"Oh, but maybe you'd like to join me?" Cassie asked, amazed at her sudden boldness. The request sounded inane, even to her ears; after months of barely being able to hold a conversation with Mace, here she was inviting the man to share her intimate morning routine with her.

Mace looked uncertain for a moment; Cassie suddenly expected him to simply turn around and march away. But Mace slowly smiled, and look her in the eyes. "I'd like that. I'd like that a lot actually."

* * *

_A strange softness under her body. _

_And something else, something heavy and warm in her lap. _

_Cassie's eyes fluttered open. The lights of the program's medical wing shone down in her face. She looked around and became aware of her surroundings- she was reclining in a hospital bed. Someone had changed her into a clean hospital gown, and the heavy warm sensation on her lap was that of Mace, fast asleep, leaned over her stretched out form. _

_Cassie sat up groggily, pushing at Mace's shoulder. _

_"Mace?"_

_"Hhmmm?" He came to slowly, pushing himself up on his elbows as he looked in Cassie's direction. His face brightened upon seeing her._

_"You're awake."_

_"Now you are too. How long was I out for?"_

_"Just an hour or so. You fell asleep when I was carrying you over here. When we got here Searle put you on a sedative," Mace gestured to the IV drip beside the bed "Figured you needed it what with all the excitement." He paused to yawn before continuing. "I don't think anyone noticed at the time, but you lost a lot of blood when you cut your hand on the machinery. We're lucky you had on a compression suit during the dive; without the suit to control blood flow things could've been much worse. Searle went to go get a pack of O negative for a transfusion. The nurses already cleaned the cut, and Corazon's getting something for it from the greenhouse. And in the meantime…" He passed Cassie a cup of juice, "I'm supposed to have you finish this V8 before the nurses come back to check your vitals."_

_Cassie took the proffered beverage, taking a sip of the spiced drink before swallowing hard. Her throat felt sore, and she could not guess if it was from the lack of air, which made no sense, or if-_

_"Mace did they have to intubate me after I fell asleep?"_

_He shook his head. "Probably not, but Searle told the nurses not to take any chances. You were actually breathing pretty shallow after we resuscitated you so it was probably for the best anyway." _

_Cassie took another swig of her juice. "I don't get how the dive became so screwed up in the first place. I mean we were doing everything right, except for the behind schedule bit. And I still don't understand how my hand got lodged inside the shell of the comms tower."_

_"I think I figured it out. It was always going to be a tight fit just to fit the wiring lozenge inside the components of the tower, let alone someone's hand. And the gloves are the most form-fitting part of the spacesuit. Even when I kept trying to pull your hand out you kept getting pulled back, like something was stuck to the glove. When I realized you couldn't move your glove I realized the problem."_

_Mae held up an elongated, rigid item, the golden color glittering under the glare of the lighting- the right glove piece to Cassie's spacesuit. Running down the length of the palm area was a long ragged opening where the knife had severed the plating, and above, positioned at the middle knuckle on the inside of the glove's ring finger, was a badly twisted and scraped golden scale. _

_Cassie stared incredulously at the torn metal scale. "The whole time I was stuck was because of that tiny little scale?"_

_"Yeah. The space between your glove and the machinery inside was so tight I don't think we took into account the possibility that something so tiny would foul the whole exercise up. Look at the way the scales overlap," Mace drew a finger down the length of the scales. "See how all they all come out from underneath each other starting at the fingertip? When you finished connecting the wiring lozenge you drew back your hand" he pointed to the twisted middle scale "and the edge of the scale snagged on the inside components of the comms tower. It was a mistake any of us could of made, and it was due more to the suit's design than anything you did. Kaneda already put in a request to the design team to revamp the construction of the glove's outer casing. We were lucky this happened in training though, not out in the middle of space." He met Cassie's eyes. 'If I hadn't been able to get you out I don't like thinking about what might have happened."_

_"Well," Cassie leaned over and took Mace's hand with her uninjured one, "That's why I'm glad you were there." _

_Mace said nothing for the moment, and then, hardly believing what she saw Cassie watched him gently pick up her injured hand and raise it to his lips, kissing it softly. She felt flustered by the sudden display of tenderness, for it was unlike to Mace to show such bald emotion. The tension was thankfully short-lived, and Cassie was saved the trouble of making an awkward response by the sound of nearing footsteps, heralding Corazon and Searle's arrival._

_"Looks like our sleeping Beauty finally woke up." Corazon teased as she walked in, a basket of leafy blossoms on one arm, an old-fashioned mortar and pestle in her hands; Searle carried a tray laden with what appeared to be needles, synthetic stitching wire, a syringe and a bottle of numbing solution._

_"Feeling better, I hope?" Searle inquired as he set the tray down by Cassie's side. _

_Cassie nodded. "Thanks to Mace, and you of course. What's that in the basket?" she asked, gesturing towards Corazon. _

_"I picked some wild arrowroot flowers from the garden," Corazon said as she set the mortar on the bedside table. "It's an old Indian remedy. In the olden days tribes would gather the arrowroot flowers from nearby streams and fields…" Corazon paused to toss a handful of the blossoms into the mortar before she began grinding them with the pestle, "After the flowers were ground they'd be applied to the wound and the enzymes in the plant would draw out the poison. I know the nurses already cleaned the cut, but you know how I feel about institutional medicine. No offense, Searle."_

_"None taken, Corrie." Searle muttered, his eyes on the syringe he was concentrating on filling. Corazon finished mashing the blossoms and set the mortar and pestle aside; Cassie noticed a faint bittersweet scent on the air drifting from the contents of the mortar. _

_Mace reached over and took Cassie's hand, giving it the gentlest of squeezes before placing his thumbs on either side of the cut on Cassie's palm. _

_"The injury doesn't look too bad." Searle noted as he slid on a pair of glasses. "It's deep, but its not very long. And the cut isn't jagged at all. I'm surprised you lost as much blood as you did, unless the cut punctured a minor artery. " _

_Mace cleared his throat. "That's because I was the one who cut her hand. It was the only way I could sever the glove from the internal components. I didn't count on having to practically cut off Cassie's hand." _

"_It's really not that bad, Mace. Besides," Cassie grinned, "at least I have a valid excuse to get out of training for a few days." She meant to go on, and assuage whatever else had battered Mace's conscience, but was silenced when Corazon moved towards her with the mortar full of arrowroot._

_"Alright," Corazon muttered as she dipped her gloved fingers into the pulpy material, "Mace, spread the cut open as wide as you can, and we'll put some of this in the wound." Cassie felt a sudden stinging sensation as Mace pulled at the flayed skin, but the pain was instantly replaced by a cooling sensation as Corazon spread the pulp into the cut. Searle leaned over Cassie with a dripping needle. _

_"I'll just give you a little local anesthetic for the pain, put a few stitches in, and we'll be good to go." Cassie winced as the needle of the syringe slid through the skin and felt Mace's hand squeeze her shoulder as Searle set the needle aside, the pain replaced by a slowly-spreading numbness through her palm. She hardly felt the surgical needle prick her hand as Searle began to set the stitches into the cut, but turned her head away, her eyes meeting Mace's. There was warmth in his eyes, and concern, and something else that Cassie dared not guess to name.

* * *

_

**A/N: **Thank you all for reading, and for the many reviews. I hope to post Chapter 5 by the end of the week, and start living up my promises for quicker updates!


	5. Water Water Everywhere

**A.N.- Thanks to everyone who has left gracious and thoughtful complements and constructive criticism- I always appreciate both! I'm sorry I took so long to post this, even though it has hung out in the document manager for nearly three weeks...I'm terrible, I know!**

* * *

Cassie was not sure how long she had stood under the shower head, the flow of the water beating a steady and constant rhythm against her back as Cassie stood silently in the shower stall. As with everything else aboard _Icarus II_, the single bathroom unit that was shared amongst the eight crewmembers had been designed with efficiency and utilitarian value in mind. Within the small space were two showers, two sinks, two lavatories, and enough space to hold the meager effects and supplies which were required of those when attending to their daily toilet. Still Cassie was grateful for the space, for at least it afforded her a small measure of privacy, a luxury that was sparser than all others aboard _Icarus_.

Cassie could not say what it was that had prompted her to invite Mace to join her in Pilates, yet she was grateful that he had accepted the invitation without question, and the workout had proceeded quietly and without tension, for the most part. She had not dared to voice what she noticed at the end of the session, but she had felt his eyes on hers, had felt Mace watching her as she had lain still on her mat while she basked in the light of the sun beyond. He had seemed eager to ask her something, yet he had barely kept himself in check.

Worse yet, Cassie knew with dead certainty that all he wanted to know was why she has broken off their relationship so many months ago, before the launch. She had told herself it was for the best, that burdening Mace with the knowledge that she had once, albeit briefly, been carrying his child would only cause them grief and sorrow, let alone the possibility of their participation in the _Icarus_ mission being terminated completely.

With that hanging over her, she had broken off their relationship with hardly a real excuse, leaving Mace bitter and unfulfilled and her own self full of self-loathing. And yet, despite every reason Mace had to lash out at her, he had treated her with nothing but respect and kindness throughout the mission, even if the longing and pain she often saw in his eyes belied much deeper emotion. But even this morning Cassie had felt those eyes upon her, and she knew that their days of uneasy peace were coming to a close. Mace was the sort to follow through on the things he felt most important, and there would be a day soon, quite soon, when he would finally ask her for the truth.

And, God help her, she would tell him everything.

Dissatisfied with but resigned to the outcome she saw in her head, Cassie stepped out from under the spray of water, shutting off the showerhead and reaching for her towel. The digital clock beyond the partition read out 6:55 in its soft green phosphorescence. The rest of _Icarus_' crew would soon be up and about if they were not already. Better to savor the last of her few minutes alone. Better to-

"Cassie?"

"Mace?"

"What? No, Capa."

As if on cue, Capa's skinny outline appeared on the opposite side of the partition. He paused to yawn, running his fingers through his hair absentmindedly. "Why did you think I was Mace?"

"Oh, well," Cassie muttered, more to herself than Capa, "he was already up. We were doing Pilates together before the morning cycle. I think he wandered off somewhere while I was showering. Can you toss me my bathrobe?"

"Here," Capa tossed Cassie's robe over into her stall. "Yeah, I saw Mace heading off to the exercise room, probably to burn off some steam. He looked a little pissed about something."

"I'm sure I wouldn't know why." Cassie wrapped herself in her robe and stepped out of the shower. Capa was clad only in his sleeping pants, his skinny frame bent over the washbasin as he set to his morning shave. He paused midway through a stroke with his razor, a frown on his sharp features. "Did you get up earlier in the night? I heard a lot of moving around last night."

Cassie shook her head. "I had a little trouble sleeping last night."

"I know the feeling." Capa sounded sympathetic. "I feel like every time I shut my eyes lately I see something bad. Not for the mission or us, just bad stuff, somehow. It's all a bit vague."

"Like what?'

"Random things. Lots of shadows and clouds. And the sun. Always the sun. It gets a little closer every night. Someday I'll wakeup from being sucked into the atmosphere and _Icarus_ will have already arrived at the payload delivery point." Capa shrugged. I don't know what it all means. Maybe I'm not supposed to."

"You could talk to Searle, see if he can give you something."

Capa shook his head. "I'd rather keep a clear head. And there are certainly worse things to dream about."

_Much, much worse_, thought Cassie glumly. _Like spending every night dreaming of the man who you used to love, the child you once carried, the life deferred in favor of risking your own for the future of mankind…_

She sighed, more to herself than Capa. Nevertheless, he picked up on her moment of sadness. He was not much for good jokes, that was really more the province of Mace or Harvey, but one thought occurred to him.

"Worse things to dream about…you could dream of number sequences like Trey. That's all he ever sees, you know."

It wasn't much, but it was something. Cassie cracked a wan smile, ruffled her friend's hair briefly and stepped out of the small room. Capa grinned to himself, and went back to his shave.

* * *

8:30 A.M. The start of a fresh day. This one was the eighteenth of November, 2057.

Of course, there was little reason to stick to a set schedule in space- the concept of twenty-four rotating and repeating hours on an Earth schedule simply didn't exist in deep space. _Icarus II _was a product of her creators, all of whom lived and worked by a schedule of three hundred sixty-five days in a year, twenty-four hours in a day, and sixty minutes in a hour. Such knowledge, combined with the crew's daily work schedule was the only thing that kept _Icarus _on target and on track as it continued its long sojourn to the sun, traveling further and further each day.

This knowledge had never particularly inspired Cassie, rather it served to underscore the fact that she and seven others were only the tiny cogs in a massive machine built with a single goal in mind: restart the sun. Theirs was a symbiotic relationship- live inside the giant craft, breath the recycled air, drink the recycled water, consume the harvested produce. In return, they were granted life inside the belly of a steel and titanium-plated leviathan as it swam through the vast emptiness of space.

Hopping into the pilot's seat at the head of the control room, Cassie flicked the few switches and toggles needed to bring _Icarus_ up from her sleep cycle. Punching in a few commands on the keyboard in front of her, her arm grazed an old paperback she had left at the station from the night before: a stained, battered copy of _Anna Karinena_. She snorted humorlessly to herself. The irony that she had been reading on the quintessential "ruined woman" novel of all Victorian literature while musing on her own recent altercations and history with Mace was not lost on her. Frowning, she tossed the novel behind her without a backwards glance. In front of her, the pilot's console came on with a low hum as _Icarus_ booted up dozens of programs and protocols.

"_Icarus Online."_

"Morning, Icarus. I'm going to request transfer from computer control back to pilot control for the duration of the morning cycle."

"_Yes Cassie." _A viewscreen flashed in front of her, indicating the status change. _"Requesting pilot confirmation code."_

"Cassie piloting officer, code zero-zero-zero-three."

"_Affirmative, Cassie. Continue coordinates from last known request?"_

"Yes, maintain current heading along Trey's last plotted trajectory and maintain current speed. Maintain notification for any spatial anomalies or foreign particles."

"_Okay Cassie." _

Cassie flicked a few switches, typed in a few last notes for the pilot's log on the screen in front of her, and then leaned back into her chair with a sigh. The daily ritual of resuming manual control of the ship, if she could even call it that, was of the few thrilling moments of training that she could actually exercise aboard the ship. Not that she expected any glitches or foul-ups, of course- the _Icarus II_ had been designed to run perfectly with a minimum of human assistance. While it made all their duties aboard the vessel more important in their implementation, it also meant that mornings aboard the ship could be soul-crushingly dull. Finished with her latest novel, and knowing she had few remaining unread books in her kit bag, Cassie considered her options. She could opt to be professional and spend the next two-hundred and seventy minutes at the pilot's station, or she could opt to wander the ship and perhaps assist another crewmember. _Let's scrap Mace from that list for the time being_ she thought sullenly. There had been a bit too much of him in her dreams and daily interactions of late to leave her completely at ease. In some ways, she always enjoyed the closeness- it meant that despite severing their relationship months ago, they had managed to maintain a modicum of mutual respect and friendliness. In other ways however such closeness invariably led back to the uncomfortable silences, awkward moment and lingering eyes that she dreaded.

The decision was an easy one to make.

Checking the coordinates one last time, Cassie logged off from the pilot's console and headed off to the payload.

* * *

_He drew himself from the water quickly, stepping up from the ledge of the pool mere seconds ahead of the man behind him, grinning to himself._

"_Better luck next time, Harvey"_

"_Yeah." Harvey nodded, climbing up from the pool, slicking his hair back from his face. "Even I can't win all the time. Still, I don't think I'm going to get the gold for swimming laps anytime soon."_

_Mace shook his head. "Me either. But," he gestured out in front of them, "at least we're a good 15 seconds ahead of everyone else."_

_The sight before both men was of six fellow crewmembers struggling through the water, intent on finishing the last lap of their swimming sessions. As per the program mandated fitness program of the Icarus Project, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays included thirty minutes of weights and of course, swimming in the center's pool at the athletic center that was adjacent to the labs and the neutral buoyancy tank._

_The tank where Cassie had nearly died._

_Mace did not like to think of that moment, if only because it served to underscore the day that the woman he was becoming increasingly close to had nearly been asphyxiated inside her suit. Still, here Cassie was, nearly a week later, in the pool with all the rest of them, floundering through the water as if she had never before nearly lost her life in a similar environment._

_He had to give Cassie credit. Bandaged hand and all, Cassie had still doggedly pursued the program's fitness regimen after only a day's absence. Today she was in the pool with all the rest, lagging a bit behind as she swam up the outermost left lane, but finishing the exercise nonetheless._

"_Cassie's doing well." Harvey said, echoing Mace's thoughts. "She might pass Trey if he doesn't pick up the pace. Hey, Trey, PICK UP THE PACE!!!"_

_In the lane right of Cassie's the swimming figure slowed, a hand momentarily emerging and cresting above the frothing water, the middle finger pointed heavenward._

_Harvey smirked. "Not a very good show of sportsmanship, to say nothing of ruining a perfect stroke."_

_Mace just grinned again, watching the rest of the crew reach the edge of he pool as they finished their laps. Of the remaining six, Kaneda finished next in third place. Capa and Corazon reached the water's edge at nearly the same moment, sharing fourth. Searle was next, and then right behind him came Trey and Cassie, paddling as quickly as they could down their respective lanes. They seemed to be swimming in tandem, matched stroke for stroke, and then, meters away from the water's edge, Trey gave one last surge, pushing himself to the lip of the pool ahead of Cassie by less than a stroke._

_She surfaced slowly, gasping for breath, slicking back from her face the wet chestnut strands made dark by the water. She glanced up at Mace. "How'd I do?"_

_Mace checked the clock behind him. "Pretty good- fifteen minutes, forty-seven seconds. Trey only beat you by a hair, and even then it was only luck."_

_Cassie rolled up eyes. "That and he doesn't have a handful of waterlogged cotton gauze obstructing his form with every stroke." She held up her bandaged hand as if to make a point._

_Mace shrugged "At least it was close. And everyone finished under the eighteen-minute mark. Let me help me out."_

_Cassie offered her uninjured hand to Mace, who quickly plucked her out of the pool as if she weighed nothing at all. But he was too forceful with the pull, and she was lifted clean out the water and towards him, her feet slipping on the wet tile, legs sliding out from under her, and Mace grabbed her arms, pulling her body to his, steadying her._

"_Am I going to have to save you every time?" Mace said, half-joking, half serious._

_Cassie smiled. "If it has to be anyone, I'd prefer it be you. So far you've got a two and o track record. Pretty good."_

'_Happy to help out." He gave her a quick squeeze, noting how wonderful it felt to have the warmth of her body pressed against his. For her part, Cassie didn't seem to mind. She merely looked up at Mace, something unreadable in her dark brown eyes. Still she smiled and broke away from him, walking away to fetch a towel. Mace let his eyes follow her retreating form. God, even dripping wet she looked gorgeous, with her program-issued navy one-piece clinging in all the right parts as her petite body leaned over and collected towels from the table. She turned around, her gaze catching his, and Mace instantly looked away._

"_Did I see the normally unflappable Mace blushing?" Cassie asked, her voice light._

"_I'll plead the fifth," Mace joked, knowing she had seen his eyes traveling her way. Cassie shook her head, and passed him a towel. "I might let it slide."_

"_How's that?" inquired Mace, toweling his body dry._

_Cassie smiled. "I seem to recall you promised me a beer last week. I'm still waiting."_

_

* * *

_

Even with a long-sleeved shirt, sweater and toboggan, there was no getting past the oppressive cold that wafted from and was generated by the coolant tanks in the mainframe center of _Icarus II_. Amidst the myriad programs and machines that operated aboard Icarus, both seen and unseen, the mainframe system was one of comparative simplicity. Mace did not know or understand the complexities of the ship's programming systems- who could? Millions upon millions of gigahertz of information working in tandem to keep systems working- shields rotating, data processing, water recycling and so on. Mace did not understand such things, nor could anyone aboard _Icarus_ comprehend such massive levels of data programming.

What Mace _could _understand however was the mechanics of _Icarus_- the physical aspects, the cogs and gears, so to speak, of this leviathan. These were the things that were in his realm of knowledge and control. And so it was, wrapped up warm in his layers and sweaters and toboggan that the engineering officer found himself stretched out on the grating over the coolant tanks, skin pebbled with goose bumps from the chill as he worked with wrench and pliers on the mainframe boards.

It was not a task Mace relished. In fact, the straightforwardness of the task at hand never failed to remind him that he was, in essence, sometimes little more than a glorified repairman. The current task was not hard, or even challenging- he had only to ensure that the hydraulic equipment that suspended the mainframe panels in their coolant gel was in working order. The affair was simple enough, to be sure, if not somewhat monotonous. He had already finished tightening the screws on each of the four central panels, and was only now finishing with the hydraulic joints. Mace inched forward slightly on his stomach, an electric scraper in his left hand, a pair of pliers in his right. High up on the upper left support rod of the nearest mainframe panel, ice crystals had solidified over the bottommost rigging and tubes. Left on its own, the device would rust and clog, the tubing solidifying, eventually rendering the hydraulics unusable. Simple enough to fix, of course. Scrape off the crystals, check the alignment of the support rod, and replace the piping tube for the hydraulic fluid.

Mace inched out over the chill liquid. With a flick of his thumb the scraper turned on, removing the icy detritus. Now, to cut and remove the tubing... he reached out with the pliers...

"Mace?"

...and promptly fumbled the tools, dropping them into the coolant gel below.

"Shit!" He reacted without thinking, plunging his hands into the liquid, hissing from the sting of the cold. His hands found the tools slowly sinking in the coolant, drew them out the gel, and Mace watched as both his hands and the tools quickly frosted over as the gel came in contact with the air. The sound of a giggle made him look up from the injury- Corazon stood in front of him, a mug of tea in one hand, her features inscrutable save for the hint of a smile pulling at the edges of her lips.

"Think you could've given me some warning?" Mace quipped dryly, gesturing with his now injured hands.

"I did try." Corazon stepped forward with the tea. "You've been here for almost an hour. I'd thought you'd like something to warm you up. Of course," Corazon gestured to his hands, "I don't suppose it matters now."

He took the mug of tea, glanced at Corazon briefly, then poured the steaming liquid over his hands. The frozen gel dissolved immediately in a quick succession of crackles and pops. Corazon gave him a withering stare.

"You know that was the last of the orange blossom tea."

Mace cast her a saucy smile. "Good thing it came in handy."

If Corazon had noted this most egregious and awful of puns, she said nothing. She silently picked up the now-empty mug, smiled ruefully at him, and tossed him a towel. He stood up, wiping his now tingling but defrosted hands. "What else do we have left?"

"Just the oolong, earl grey and berry blend. Although I won't be giving those out if you keep using tea as a defrosting agent."

"Then don't sneak up on me like that."

Corazon nodded. "Duly noted. Sorry about that."

Mace shrugged. "You know I'm just joshing you. Besides, I've dealt with worse."

"Just make sure you get Searle to take a look at your hands and get some lotion. If any of that coolant gets into your bloodstream you'll really be in trouble."

"I'm just about finished with the mainframes," said Mace. "Just have to replace some tubing, and then I'll go find Searle."

"You do that." Corazon turned to leave, before turning back to Mace. "Have you seen Cassie recently? I was going to bring her some tea too."

He frowned. "Not since this morning. I think she had something on her mind. She wasn't very chatty."

"She hasn't been lately, has she?" Corazon wondered out loud. " She didn't even say anything last night when she spilt her food all over your shirt. She seemed a little moody, in fact. Has she mentioned anything to you about that?"

_Corrie if you haven't noticed she's been avoiding me since even before the_ _mission started_ Mace thought bitterly. Instead he only shook his head. "No. Cassie hasn't said much of anything lately."

Corazon grimaced. "I hope she's alright. It's not healthy, bottling up secrets like that. She has seven friends she could talk things out with."

_No_, thought Mace sadly_. Not seven. Just six. And the other one just wishes things could go back to the way they were. _He noted suddenly that Corazon was staring at him with a nearly unreadable expression, and Mace wondered if she knew what he was thinking. That was the more unfortunate aspect of sharing a ship with seven others- few things, even one's thougts, could rarely be called one's own. Thankfully, Corazon said nothing, but gave him a brief pat on the shoulder before walking out the room.

And then he was alone again, alone with his thoughts and memories of Cassie. Although Mace was not eager to be grilled by Searle, a trip to the med center seemed the wisest course of action. And even if Searle was not there, Mace suddenly thought of one other thing that might ameliorate the heartache and the angst.

He wondered, briefly, when he has last used the Earth Room.

* * *

**A.N.- Thanks for reading everyone- I hope you enjoy it. I thought since I had Mace bouncing a conversation off of Corazon, Cassie needed a one-on-one with another crewmember as well, so we've got her learning chess with Capa in my next chapter!**


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